I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
- Ecclesiastes 3:14
We know that every true believer’s salvation is safe and secure in Christ, because the work of grace which God has begun he will carry on to complete perfection. The apostle Paul assures us of this: “Being confident of this very thin, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”, Philippians 1:6. It will never be said of our God that he began a work which he was not able to complete.
Every man considers it his shame to undertake a work and be compelled to give it up before completion because he lacked the ability, skill, wisdom, power, or the dedication necessary to get the job done but, it is not possible for the Lord to be confronted with such shame. God has never known failure and He never will.
Though thousands of years have rolled by, his eternal purposes have never changed. According to his wise and holy will, in the fullness of time, he redeemed us by the substitutionary atonement of his own Son. And though we went astray from him as soon as we were born and spent our days and nights in rebellion, yet he stood by his eternal purpose of grace. He graciously preserved us until the time appointed when he would save us.
Since that day, our sins have been many and our faithfulness at best has been feeble. Our service has been insignificant, but He who called us has been faithful. He has kept us by the power of his grace. He has never failed us yet; and he never will. He will not give up that work to which he has been faithful for so long. Our God will perform that which he has begun, until he brings us safe into eternal glory. He is willing to complete his work in us. He is wise enough to complete his work in us and he is powerful enough to complete his work in us. Some may ask, “Can a saved man ever be lost?” I reply, “Not until God ceases to be God!” I know that if God has saved me, and if God has saved you, by his matchless grace it shall be forever.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
- Psalms 90:2
Eternity is a subject about which the wisest can know only a little. It is a subject which we must approach with our Bibles in our hands and our hearts wide open.
Allow me to share four statements which I picked up from an old writer that will help us to live in the awareness of eternity.
1. We live in a world where all things are passing away. That man must be blind who cannot see this. Everything around us is decaying, dying, and coming to an end.
2. We are all going to a world where everything is eternal. The great unseen world that lies beyond the grave is eternal. Whether it is happy or miserable, joyful or sorrowful, it will never end. The bliss of heaven is eternal and the torments of hell are eternal.
3. Our state in eternity depends on what we are in time. If we are the sons of God here, relying upon the merits of Christ as our only hope of salvation, we shall be the sons of God eternally, living in the glory of Christ. If we are the children of the world here, rejecting Christ, we shall be the children of hell for ever, rejected by Christ.
4. Jesus is the only One to whom we must turn for eternal life. Only Jesus Christ can save your soul. Only his blood can wash away your sin, only his righteousness can make you holy, and only his grace can present you faultless before the all seeing eye of God. You must trust him now and live for ever, or if you choose to ignore the reality of heaven; you will for ever be choosing the torments of hell.
Careless soul, oh, heed the warning,
For your life will soon be gone;
Oh, how sad to face the judgment,
Unprepared to meet thy God.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.